December 2021

Despite what you think, the holiday season is an excellent opportunity to boost sales and customer attendance at your fitness business.

Sure, people are likely to slow down and take some time off. But you should remember that there’s a lot of gift-giving involved as well as the urge to stay fit in the face of juicy dinners. Plus, everything is opening up after a painfully long COVID hiatus. So, what better an opportunity than now to create a holiday marketing plan for your yoga, pilates, dance, or fitness business and get everyone as excited for their fitness journey as they are for the holidays.

Your holiday campaign will also help you gain momentum as you enter the New Year. You’d already have your clients where you want them and the New Year will give them that extra little push.

So, let’s take a look at some brilliant holiday marketing ideas for your fitness business.

Offer holiday deals

This is the time when everyone is thinking about giving the best, most meaningful gift to their loved ones. And the gift that triumphs over all others? The gift of fitness. Ask around and we’re sure you’ll find out that every other person wants to get fit and feel good.

Weave that sentiment into your holiday campaign. For example, as a yoga studio, you could say “Gift a healthy lifestyle to your loved ones: 20% off on 10 classes.” Or if you’re a Zumba studio, you could say “Give the gift of thrill and unstoppable fun. $50 for a $75 gift certificate.” The choices are limitless. The key is to base it around the festive spirit.

Here are some more ideas for the perfect holiday offer to make some good Santa sales:

Waive off the registration or joining fee. This is an incredibly enticing offer. This is exactly what a lot of your potential clients are waiting for to finally start their fitness journey. So why not give them a simple nudge and make them yours for the following year and beyond.
Limited-time holiday membership price. Can’t waive off the entire joining fee? A limited-time discounted membership price is equally tempting. Give them a deal they can’t refuse. Slash 30% off the monthly fee for December and January. January is when they’ll need you the most so availing this offer in December would be a win-win.
Sell gift certificates. Like we mentioned before, gift certificates are a great idea to show love to friends and family. Cash in on the opportunity and sell holiday-themed gift certificates. Have them at your studio or on your online store. Currently, our software doesn’t support gift certificates or % off for XX months so you might have to do that manually. But we do have a robust promo code feature to help you implement most of your holiday discounts.
Add value with add-on products. It takes nerves of steel to deny yourself a good discounted add-on product. With add-on products, you will have dollars rolling in and also provide your clients significant value. A few examples are 30% off protein powder with membership, free nutrition consultation with a $100 gift certificate, a free 7-day pass for a friend with every 3-month membership.

Cross-promote with other businesses

Collaborate with businesses that share the same health and wellness space as you. It could be a gym-wear brand, a supplement store, a spa, or a basic gym equipment company. These businesses have clients that could be yours too. People love bundled deals that are attractively priced and offer value.

Do your homework and jump on the chance of reaching a much wider audience.

Run a corporate promotion

Corporations are focusing on their employees’ wellness now more than ever. The holiday season is a great time to take a break from work and de-stress. You know it, everyone knows it. So why not host a group training class, a yoga session, or a fun Zumba class?

This is like killing two birds with one stone. An unforgettable team-building activity to boost morale and a great way to promote health and wellness. Reach out to your local companies and pitch them a holiday-themed deal. You can also throw in some free merch to make the offer even more attractive.

Introduce giveaways and freebies

Giveaways and contests create a sense of community, increase engagement, and boost brand awareness. Christmas is the perfect time to do giveaways and treat your customers with freebies. You can give a pair of dumbbells, a 5-class pass, a private training session, or anything of value to anyone that participates.

If you want to make it fun, do a contest on Instagram instead of a simple giveaway. Invite your followers to share a picture of their holiday-themed yoga pose and pick three winners. Contests like this give you an opportunity to interact with your audience and also create a buzz about your business.

Sell festive merchandise

Image via Etsy

Think festive colors and a cool fitness-related slogan. A combo that your clients will find it hard to walk away from. A product such as a warm hoodie is functional and the slogan will remind them that they have to go easy with the Christmas dinner.

And if it’s a limited edition line, everyone will want to get their hands on it.

Can’t think of the slogans? Hop over to Pinterest and you’ll find plenty of funny (but appropriate) ideas. Make sure you also place your name or logo somewhere visible because this is your chance of free advertising.

Fitness-style social media campaign

Follow your clients everywhere they go. Draft a two-week-long social media campaign focused on fitness. Nudge them to eat healthy. Share healthy Christmas dinner recipes. Give them Christmas workout challenges. Remind them of the effects of overindulgence and hold them accountable. This will not only get you new customers but also show the existing ones that you care.

Referral program

This one has always been a hit with the fitness businesses.

When your client will rave about the awesome in-gym or in-studio experience, their friends will listen and trust them. But how do you make sure they talk about you? You incentivize the endorsement. This way you’re getting new members and turning the existing ones into your most loyal members who won’t leave your side.

Here are some referral program ideas to drive up revenues:

One month free for every referral
20% off membership on joining with a friend
Three-month free gym membership with five referrals
Five free fitness classes
Free hoodies or gym gear with every referral

Celebrate the festive season

The holiday season isn’t only about offering deals and promotions to your customers. It’s also about embracing the festive spirit. You don’t always have to be selling. Fostering healthy relationships with your customers, appreciating them, celebrating with them makes you stand out from the competition.

So, decorate your gym or studio and host a get-together with the community. Offer some refreshments and let them know how much they mean to you. Your members will remember this and share this with their friends. Endorsing you once again.

A final word from Fitli

Don’t miss out on the chance of boosting your revenue this holiday season while also winning your customers over. Pick out the holiday marketing strategies that suit your fitness business the best and let the fun begin.

Feel free to contact our support if you face any trouble or need any assistance in implementing your holiday discounts.

Happy Holidays!

What’s the word that makes people give fist pumps and heave great sighs of relief? The Holiday Season. Well, three words to be exact.

After a whole year of hustling, everyone can now sit down, relax and rejoice with a glass of their favorite Christmas cocktail. Jokes are cracked, laughs are shared, and every worry of the world takes a backseat. But in the process of letting loose, your clients also temporarily forget about their fitness dreams.

All the hours that you put into training them are now replaced with the hours of them overindulging and getting a bit too cozy at home. Alexa, play cricket sounds in the gym.

But this doesn’t have to be the case this time around. With a little effort and the right strategies, you can keep your customers off the couch and engaged at your gym. After all, your wallet also deserves to be happy during the time that’s meant to be all about happiness.

So, how do you make that work? Let’s look at some ideas:

Introduce fitness challenges

Of course, your gym members want to look fit and amazing for the holidays. They have family reunions to attend and people to impress. Use this to your advantage and introduce a ‘Fit for the Holidays’ challenge. Run it through the weeks leading up to the holidays and throw in some attractive incentives like a customized nutrition plan, weekly check-ins, and one or two HIIT workouts.

Make it competitive

If a simple holiday challenge doesn’t work on some members, make it competitive for them to instill motivation.

Present them with a challenge that will have a winner at the end of it. You can present this challenge to all the participants of your dance or gym class. Explain how reaching the objective will win them points or prizes. People like winning and the recognition that comes with it. So, tap into that competitive instinct and think of some simple and straightforward challenge ideas.

Some examples are:

Most miles run challenge
Most calories burned challenge
Total weightloss challenge
Most gym visits challenge
15-day walking challenge

These are some pretty simple challenges and success can be gauged easily. These challenges not only push your customers to do their best but also make them feel like a part of a community.

Offer special seasonal classes

Everyone gets bored with routine. Bring something new to the table that’s appealing enough for your clients to leave the comfort of their homes.

Know what keeps them going, what makes them excited, and what they need the most at the time. Think Weekend of Wellness, offering meditative yoga classes to those dealing with holiday stress. Gratitude Week that’s focused on Turkey burn rides for those who have packed some pounds over dinners. Give them what nobody else is and watch your clients clamoring for more.

Bring a friend promotion

What’s a holiday season without the spirit of spreading happiness? The more, the merrier. Encourage your gym members to bring a friend to get free classes or discounted rates on your merch. Those incentives are tempting and so is the thought of training with one’s friend.

This will get you double the usual number of people at the gym. These are all potential clients who are getting the chance to know and experience your services better. Many of them might even come back to get your cash register running.

Keep the hours flexible for easy access

Holidays are not the best time to be rigid about the timings of your gym. People are busy shopping, planning, decorating, and out having fun with friends. They might not be able to visit at the time they previously used to.

By extending the hours, you minimize the chances of your gym members not showing up at all. The convenience of a facility that’s open 24/7 could be a huge motivation for your clients during the holidays.

The time is NOW. Grab their attention early and keep them engaged. These ideas are not only for gyms. Whether you’re a pilates studio, a dance studio, a yoga studio, a personal trainer, or a sports instructor, you can reap the fruits of these strategies and turn the slow season into a success.

Holiday Marketing Ideas for Your Fitness Business